Welcome to your UFCW Local 1439!

NEGOTIATIONS UPDATE

As most of you know, the Spokane Grocery and Meat contracts for Albertsons, Fred Meyer, Rosauers and Safeway expired on January 5, 2008 along with the Fred Meyer CCK contract. We have had numerous negotiation sessions since that time and have made very little progress in the overall effort to attain a contract that would be acceptable to the majority of the Local 1439 membership. In fact, we have not received a wage offer of any kind. In an effort to meet the requirements of our UFCW International Constitution and send a message to the employers that we want them to take these negotiations seriously, a Strike Authorization vote was taken with Albertsons and Rosauers members on Monday, June 16 at three separate meetings at the Carpenters’ Hall. The attendance at these meetings was very good and the “YES” vote overwhelming.

We still have lots of outstanding issues on the table. Some of these issues include Health and Welfare Benefits, real money raises, not bonuses, and some much needed language changes. The employers want a cost-neutral contract, which means that any improvements or increases would be offset by takeaways. We cannot allow any further erosion of your contracts!!!

Your Union Representatives, Shop Stewards and Officers will be spending time in your stores requesting that members sign Store Action Sheets and explaining the proposals in more detail and answering any questions you may have.

We previously set July 1 as a date to achieve a tentative agreement, however after attending our last negotiation session, the mediator requested that we hold off taking action until July 17 at which time the employers will present a package offer through the mediator which will include an economic proposal.

STAY INFORMED!!!

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THIS IS THE FIRST IN A SERIES OF BULLETINS THAT WILL BE ADDRESSING DIFFERENT NEGOTIATIONG PROPOSALS. THIS FLYER IS ON SENIORITY-ARTICLE 8 OF OUR SPOKANE GROCERY AND CCK CONTRACTS. THE FOLLOWING IS THE UNION SENIORITY PROPOSAL.

Article 8 - Seniority (add)

At least 50 percent of employees working in all classifications, excluding helper clerk and courtesy clerk, shall receive a schedule providing a 40-hour work week. This shall be based on the employee's seniority, qualifications, and ability to perform the work, the senior employee's availability to perform the work, and the employee has notified management in writing of his or her desire for additional hours of work.

Why is this important????

Many of our Spokane members are not getting sufficient hours to make a livable income. Some employers seem to be constantly cutting hours and giving them to less senior and in most cases lower paid, members. We cannot allow this to continue. Employers and now arbitrators are changing the intent of our contracts and cheating senior people out of their hours. In a recent Fred Meyer arbitration, the arbitrator overturned the intent of our contract language and awarded more hours to a less senior worker, even though the senior worker was available and had the seniority, qualifications, and ability to do the job.

To quote UFCW Local 1439 Secretary-Treasurer Debbie Langton, "It doesn't matter how much you make an hour if you aren't getting any hours."

Our next negotiations are scheduled for July 17th,18th, 22nd, 23rd,31st and we will provide regular updates through these bulletins and our website, www.ufcw1439.org.

March 28, 2008

At the Spokane negotiations on March 26, the parties spent most of the time discussing health and welfare proposals and funding. Our Local Union’s health and welfare proposals have been narrowed down to dental coverage for all, adding children to Level 1 coverage, updating the dental usual and customary formula, mental health parity, increasing the short term disability to $250 per week, and adding health care coverage for courtesy clerks 19 years of age or otherwise emancipated....(read more here)

March 13, 2008

President’s Report- An Injury to One is an Injury to All

Spokane Grocery and Meat Employer Proposal: An arbitrator shall not render an award which requires the employer to pay an improperly discharged or suspended employee for time that employee has not actually worked in excess of the wage and benefits the employee would have earned had he worked his normal schedule during the 90 calendar days immediately following the date of discharge. Nor shall the arbitrator be entitled to require the employer to pay benefits on behalf of an employee for a time period the employee has not actually worked in excess of the 90 days allowable....(read more)